Ken Skorseth, program manager of the South Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program has assumed the office of president of the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association.

SD LTAP is housed in the College of Engineering at SDSU.

The association’s main objectives are to build awareness in transportation communities, assist the Federal Highway Administration with developing strategies for the program and build the capacity of each LTAP center to best meet the needs of its customers.

Skorseth has been active in the national association and has worked for the SD LTAP for 21 years. He will continue to serve as program manager of SD LTAP. His term as president of NLTAPA is for one year.

“It’s a great honor to serve in a national association and be elected president by your peers,” said Skorseth, who was elected NLTAPA vice president in January 2009. “I hope being president reflects the trust of my peers to be a leader in very difficult times.”

#1.1654786:2258138845.jpg:Ken Skorseth, program manager of the South Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program:Ken Skorseth, program manager of the South Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program:NA

South Dakota State University faculty member Tom Johnson has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.

Johnson, professor of pharmacy practice in the College of Pharmacy at SDSU, will begin his three-year term on the 12-member board June, 2011.

“It was an honor to be nominated, and I’m very humbled and excited to actually be elected,” Johnson said, whose practice site is in Sioux Falls as a critical care pharmacist and critical care pharmacy residency program director at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., ASHP is a 35,000-member national professional association that represents pharmacists who practice in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care and other components of health-care systems.

ASHP is the only national organization of hospital and health-system pharmacists. Its mission is to advance and support the professional practice of pharmacists and serve as their collective voice on issues related to medication use, public health and patient safety.

“This is a great honor and Dr. Johnson will represent us well,” said Professor James Clem, head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. “This is a milestone for the pharmacy practitioners in South Dakota. He is definitely a leader in the pharmacy profession, and we are very proud of all his accomplishments.”

Johnson, who joined the SDSU pharmacy staff as an assistant professor in 1998, is past president of the South Dakota Health System Pharmacists. Having previously served on two ASHP councils, he is cognizant of what it means to be elected to the national board of directors.

“With as many rural institutions that we have in South Dakota and the region as well as many of the things that we are doing at SDSU and at Avera, I think having a board member from this state will be particularly helpful, “he said. “It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved.”

South Dakota State University’s Mortar Board chapter, Sigma Lambda Sigma, was recognized for its achievements this summer at the 2010 Mortar Board National Conference held in Chicago the end of July.

Sigma Lambda Sigma was one of 77 chartered collegiate chapter winners receiving the Silver Torch Award. Across the nation 238 chapters competed for the award. Winners demonstrated scholarship, leadership and service with timeliness and dedication.

Natalie Woolridge, senior nursing major from Huron, accepted the Silver Torch Award in Chicago as the SDSU chapter president.

“Membership in Mortar Board provides students with opportunities to further develop their leadership skills as the group identifies service projects they wish to complete,” said Joel Hefling, SDSU Mortar Board advisor and assistant professor in communication studies and theater.

“Members are able to work together to complete service projects that have a significant impact in the local community, as well as projects that are worldwide in scope.”

Some of the international, national and local scholarship projects the SDSU chapter volunteered with included Reading is Leading, Cycle to Stop the Cycle, food drives for the Brookings Food Pantry, Relay for Life and fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Mortar Board National Honor Society started with only four chapters in 1918. The SDSU chapter received its charter in 1972 and currently has 25 members.

The honor society is open to students who will be in their senior year at SDSU who have cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher and participate in leadership and service organizations.

Rodney Dawkins has been named September Career Service Employee of the Month at South Dakota State University. A reception in his honor will be held Tuesday, Sept., 21, in room 214 of the Pugsley Center from 10 to 11 p.m. SDSU President David Chicoine will make a presentation at 10:30 p.m.

Employed at SDSU since 1987, Dawkins works for the facilities and services department in custodial services where he is assigned to Lincoln Music Hall. Over the years, he has also worked in Scobey Hall, the Administration Building and Pugsley Center.

His colleagues indicate that Dawkins takes pride in his work and is always willing to complete special projects, even though he works overnight hours.

Co-workers have been impressed with his professionalism and hard work. They indicate that he takes care of special requests and takes on extra duties to prepare the building for visitors throughout the year when the music department hosts musical events.

Considering Dawkins works nights, colleagues are also impressed by his communication skills. They said he does a good job at conveying with professional, clear and considerate notes to staff members.

Dawkins lives in Brookings with his wife, Teresa, who is an accountant with the SDSU Sun Grant Center. Their son, Paul, attends Dakota State University where he majors in computer science and computer network security.

“I take my job at SDSU very seriously and take great pride in my work,” said Dawkins, an avid bowler who is also interested in coin collecting and astrology.

All SDSU Employee of the Month selections are determined through a nomination process by the career service advisory council.

Each career service employee of the month receives an appreciation monetary gift from the F.O. Butler Foundation. The trustees of the foundation recognize the importance of career service employees and take this opportunity to thank them for their exemplary service.